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| The practice of mulesing |
| Jun, 2012 |
The practice of mulesing
Being a natural yarn supplier, animal welfare is of key importance to our business.
One current topical area of animal welfare is the practice of mulesing – a procedure to remove folds of sheepskin that are susceptible to fly strike (when fly larvae infect the sheep). A problem that occurs in several countries but particularly in certain parts of Australia where the climate is wetter and therefore fly strike more prevalent.
This practice of mulesing has been greatly debated recently and reported in the media. The animal rights activist group, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has convinced 34 international companies with more than 3000 stores across the US and Europe to join its campaign to boycott Australian wool from mulesed flocks. These retailers include Next, Hugo Boss, Adidas, Abercrombie & Fitch, Timberland, H&M, American Eagle, Liz Claiborne and Perry Ellis International along with others.
By boycotting this method alternatives need to be sourced which is not a straightforward process as farmers practice mulesing in order to save their sheep from agonising deaths from fly strike.
The practice of mulesing is currently the only real option available to many graziers to prevent fly strike. A stop to mulesing requires either genetic changes in sheep or an acceptable and practical new method that removes wrinkle in sheep. Until this happens, many graziers will have to continue mulesing to prevent their sheep from greater long term pain and suffering.
The steps we are taking at Novetex
At Novetex we have been working in close partnership with our wool suppliers to be able to offer alternative supplies that we can verify are non-mulesed.
We have been taking new steps to provide a transparent traceability scheme that allows you be able to trace farming practices through to the yarn we spin
Actions we are taking
We can offer certification to back up proof of origin of our wool:
• Since the problem is mostly concentrated in certain regions of Australia due to the climate there, we are able to source alternative supplies from other countries that we can verify are non-mulesed by proof of country of origin.
• If wool is purchased from Australia then we can provide certifications through AWEX (Australian Wool Exchange) and wool processors to authenticate the supplies of wool to you are non-mulesed. This can be done through a wool tracing path:
• If wool is purchased from South Africa then we can provide certifications through WTB (Wool Testing Bureau SA) and wool processors to authenticate the supplies of wool to you are non-mulesed. This can be done through a wool tracing path:
Novetex supply tracing path certification documents for non-mulesed wool sourced from Australia:
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Certificate of origin, see sample below.
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Transaction certificate for delivery of non-mulesed wool
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Supporting documentation from the wool processor
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Supporting documentation from AWTA (Australian Wool Testing Authority)
Novetex supply tracing path certification documents for non-mulesed wool sourced from South Africa:
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Certificate of origin, see sample below.
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Transaction certificate for delivery of non-mulesed wool
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Supporting documentation from the wool processor from WTB (Wool Testing Bureau S.A.)
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If wool sourced from other countries:
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Certificate of origin, see sample above.
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Supporting documentation from the wool processor
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Supporting documentation from the wool agent
Available resources
Due to Australia being the largest supplier of wool and the fly strike problem being mostly concentrated there, the supply of non-mulesed wool currently remains limited.
We have positioned ourselves to be able to source non-mulesed wool at our customers requests, and hope with time the practice of mulesing can be phased out altogether as new successful methods emerge to care for sheep, allowing us to reach our goal of being able to source 100% of our wool from non-mulesed flocks. As part of our commitment we will keep you informed with regular updates on our supply status.
From sourcing through to processing we at Novetex take very seriously the impact our business practices have on the world around us.
This is a constantly evolving process that we are continually reassessing and listening to our customers to find out where we can improve or deliver products to suit your ethical needs.
For more information on this subject please contact us at ntx@novetex.com |
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